The Hobbits of Rivendell
by Silverhand9028
Summary: Caelyr and his friends Lylith and Amatria have never been like the other elves of Rivendell. The chance to leave the valley that has always bored them appears, and they take it. But when evil and betrayal arise, will the three elves return to save the place they once called home?
1. Chapter 1

**So it is National Storytelling Week in my country and I figured it would be a good idea to post the first chapter of my new LotR fanfic!**

**I felt that Traitor of Camp Half-Blood and Ravenclaw Misadventures (my Percy Jackson and Harry Potter fics) weren't getting many views, so I decided to try this!**

**Please read, hope you enjoy!**

**-Silverhand9028**

I woke at dawn. Blinking the sleep from my eyes, I glanced round my room, within the Last Homely House East of the Sea, Rivendell.

A window overlooked the gentle river down in the valley, and bookcases lined the walls. I stood and looked at the faint pink glow of the sun dawning from the mountains in the East, close to breaking over the morning mists.

Wasting no time, I dressed myself in a long elven robe, then a hooded cloak over the top, which I fastened with a golden chain. After pulling on a pair of black boots, I approached a full-length mirror by the doorway and examined myself.

I saw an elf with a smooth, fair face and golden hair, hanging down before my shoulders. My eyes had the shape and colour of two finely roasted almonds, and I was dressed regally. The finishing touch – a finely crafted circlet of curved silver – was placed upon my brow as I turned and left the room.

It was beginning to slightly lighten up as I walked across Rivendell. Every step was well practiced; smooth, deliberate strides, neat and perfect. Continuing this delicate stroll, I calmly paced along a white bridge over a waterfall. This was the way of walking we elves had been taught – my head held high, my legs tracing the ground in light, elegant steps.

Finally, I saw the staircase that led to the entrance of Rivendell. Quickening my delicate pace, I reached the bottom of the steps where six other elves were standing.

"Caelyr," I was greeted with a soft whispery voice.

I nodded at the beautiful elf that had spoken. Her hair was long and dark, framing a pale yet beautiful face.

"Sehnae," I replied, greeting her with a polite nod of the head.

"We are all here, I believe," the woman replied. "Remember what I have told you. _Swift as a songbird, light as a feather."_

"Swift as a songbird, light as a feather," we chorused in unison.

"Good. Remember to be graceful, to be elegant. You must show these Hobbits what elves can do. To them, elves are perfect. Elves are _perfect._"

Her dark eyes washed over us. "_Perfect…_"

"Mistress Sehnae," a voice called. I looked to see an elven lookout at the top of the steps. "The hobbits are approaching."

"Good," Sehnae replied, her voice as smooth as silk, "you may go now. Elves, go to your positions."  
Nodding, we six elves (excluding Sehnae) all gathered into two lines of three, on either side of the steps. I was in the middle right, between my two friends, Amatria and Lylith.

Amatria had a rare shade of red hair, long and wavy, with brown eyes and pale skin. Lylith's hair was dark, and even longer than her companions. They both wore similar dresses and cloaks.

With a subtle smile to each of them, I stood in line as a cart trundled into view, approaching the valley of Imladris.

The hobbits.

The cart neared our steps. Us six, on either side of the staircase, nodded our heads towards the hobbits in unison, whilst Sehnae walked elegantly down the steps, head held high.

"Greetings from Rivendell," she smiled, spreading her hands with great care and grace.

"Mistress Sehnae," the hobbit driving the cart hopped down and bowed low. He was a hairy fellow, with bushy eyebrows and bare feet.

"You must be Robbett," Sehnae smiled in the hobbit's language. Luckily, I spoke it quite well too. She shook the hobbit's hand; it was quite an amusing sight to see the tall, gracious elf with the dumpy little hobbit.

"We have all you asked for, Mistress," the hobbit nodded. "Potatoes, vegetables, wine, honey…"  
"Thank you, Robbett," Sehnae's soft voice rippled through Rivendell as she dismissed the elf with a wave of her hand. "Caelyr, Lylith, Amatria. Take the potato and lettuce sacks here."  
In perfect unison, we three approached the cart, stepping lightly and plucking the sacks delicately from the arms of the other hobbits.

I saw a second hobbit, with a mass of curly blonde hair, passing me a second sack.

Nodding secretively, I took the second sack as delicately as possible.

"Caelyr." I heard the gentle voice of Sehnae, with an icy tone to it, speaking in Elvish. "What is in that sack?"

I fumbled for an idea in my head. "…Potatoes, Mistress Sehnae," I replied.

Sehnae's eyes examined me, and I held up my head, trying to look as graceful as possible.

"Very well," her honey-sweet voice whispered.

I took both sacks and, with a deliberate sweep of my cloak, took slow, elegant steps away from the cart.

As we left, Sehnae smiled to the hobbits. "Thank you for doing business with us," she smiled, and her dark eyes twinkled with dark satisfaction.

Amatria, Lylith and I were at the other end of Rivendell when the sun finally reached out over the mountains.

We walked in a perfect line, our feet barely touching the ground. If we were to walk on snow, we would leave no marks. If we were to walk on thin ice, it would not break. If we were to walk on mud, our boots would not dirty.

We passed by the tall spires and ornate curves of Rivendell's grand buildings as we approached the rock face. Here, crystal waterfalls tumbled down the valley to the river. We stopped by one small building, a storehouse, were we deposited some of the sacks, yet secretly keeping others; including the one full of 'potatoes' I had taken from the other Hobbit.

We left the storehouse and walked on, towards the grandest, tallest waterfall in Imladris.

"We are here," I proclaimed.

We stepped up to the waterfall. With our enhanced elven senses, we glanced around to check for anyone watching us. "All clear."

Amatria gently held out her hand to the waterfall. The water splashed on it, as she whispered: "Panta tangwa": elfish for 'Unlock'.

Magic lingered in the air, as the sheet of falling water parted like curtains, revealing a tunnel cut into the rock. Smiling, we walked side by side into the cave, as the sliding doors of falling water closed behind us.

"Sehnae is getting more irritating every time the hobbits come," I remarked.

"Indeed," nodded Amatria, "she seems intent on building some kind of barrier between us and the hobbits."  
"She is such a _saurar," _muttered Lylith – an Elven insult.

"To be fair, we do get paid a lot by her," Amatria reasoned, "All we have to do is act graceful in front of the Hobbits."  
"I don't see why it's so important to put up this façade," I murmured, in angry agreement, as we trooped down the tunnel, "the Hobbits already know the elves as powerful, wise and magical. Why does she need six of us dancing round every time they trade us food, just to show off how much more graceful elves are?"  
"Fair or not, it's our job," Amatria shrugged.

It was then that we reached our secret pantry.

Our pantry has the same arched ceiling as a hobbit's; only it's much wider. There are drapes on the wall to cover up the rough stone of a valley cave.

Also lining the walls are shelves, stacked with food. Lembas bread and potatoes, beans and eggs. Drinks too – jugs of ale, of honey wine and Elven miruvor.

And meat.

Not tolerated by our kin, meat is smuggled in by certain hobbits in potato snacks, collected by us. There's nothing _wrong_ with salad. It just gets boring.

And Amatria, Lylith and I are not known for our obedience.

No one knows about the meat, or the pantry. And no one knows what we always do every day.

I hung my cloak on a hanger and then removed my robes; for underneath I had a leather jerkin, with elven mail and a pair of long boots.

Adjusting my diadem, I opened the sack of 'potatoes' and took out what definitely weren't potatoes.

"Here we are," I told the girls, "some mutton, a bit of bacon – oh, and I think these are sausages."  
"I've got some bread and some pork in this one," Lylith presented another sack, "and some ale, some more bacon, and a bit of honey."  
"I have cheese, bread, sausages," Amatria told us. "And I think this is wine. But it smells odd."  
Lylith took a whiff and made a face.

"Well," I took three horns, hollowed out for drinking from. "I fancy a drink!"

I filled each horn with some hobbit mead, and handed them out.

"A toast," proclaimed Lylith. "Live like an elf, eat like a hobbit!"

**There you go, hope you liked this! Also, hello to Jess and Emily, whom Amatria and Lylith are based on :)**

**-Silverhand9028**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for all the views!  
I'd love it if you could leave a bit of criticism, encouragement, etc. Please review! :)**

**Enjoy this chapter.**

**-Silverhand9028**

_Tholon walked across Rivendell._

_His steps were light and delicate, as he moved with strong, speedy grace._

"_Swift as a songbird, light as a feather." The words taught to him played on his mind._

_His mother's words._

_His robes and dark hair rippling in the midday breeze, Tholon climbed the steps to a little white gazebo, overlooking the valley and the winding river._

_There was a beautiful elven woman stood at the edge, leaning on a railing. Her cheek was rested daintily on an elegantly poised hand, dark eyes examining the view. Her hair was long and black, reaching down her back in sophisticated curls._

"_Mother," Tholon called._

_The woman turned, and her dark eyes locked with his. "Tholon," smiled Sehnae, "son."  
"You wished to see me, mother?" Tholon stepped forward, taking care to look as neat as possible._

"_Yes…" Sehnae purred, her soft voice drifting round the gazebo. "Firstly… be careful, child. I did see you almost stumble, when taking that casket of wine from the hobbits."  
"Yes mother…" Tholon's pale cheeks blushed pink. "I shall be more careful."  
"You certainly shall," Sehnae encircled her son, then leant in and whispered: "Swift as a songbird, light as a feather."  
Tholon nodded shakily. "Swift as a songbird, light as a feather," he repeated._

_Sehnae's long, pale fingers traced the side of her son's face. "Good…"_

_Tholon twitched uncomfortably. "Now, my dear," Sehnae's dark eyes sparkled. "I have a task for you."_

"_Yes, mother?"_

_The beautiful elf reached for her son's hands and held them tightly in her own. "Caelyr… Amatria… Lylith…" Sehnae paused, and a smile played on her lips. "They're up to something. Find them."  
Tholon bowed stiffly. "Yes, mother," he promised._

"_Go…" Sehnae whispered, releasing his hands. _

_As Tholon hurried softly away, Sehnae turned to gaze out upon the view._

"_Swift as a songbird, light as a feather…" and she smiled, her dark eyes twinkled once more._

"There it is!"

I heard Lylith's voice from beside me.

Turning my head, I saw the two girls. They were both in cloaks and dressed in hunting gear. I was still dressed in my mail and jerkin. We were all crouched behind a rock, down in the valley of Imladris, just outside Rivendell.

In our hands, we each held longbows, with quivers of arrows at our backs and hips.

"Is it the deer from earlier?" I asked.

Lylith nodded. "Little wretch escaped me last time." My friend smiled. "But not this time."

Quick as lightning, Lylith grabbed an arrow from her quiver, nocked it with unbelievable speed, and fired it.

"You're so fast," I groaned.

Smiling, Lylith glanced over the rock. "Hit," she smirked.

"How do you do it so quickly?" asked Amatria, as we stood from behind the rock.

"With practice," Lylith shrugged, "I can't actually hit anything if I do it as slowly as you," she replied, pointing at me.

"I'm more accurate though," I smiled.

Glancing upwards, ready to prove my point, I saw a nest of eagles, high up in the valley.

One swooped down towards the river, as fast as the wind.

I nocked an arrow to my bow, and held it out patiently. Then, I closed one eye, waited, drew back the string…

_Now_.

I let the arrow fly and it whizzed through the air. Was my timing right? Had I aimed properly?

_Thunk_.

The eagle flopped to the ground, my arrow in its chest.

I grinned at Lylith, who smirked competitively.

"Now, my kill," Amatria stepped up. "I'm going to-"

"Wait…" whispered Lylith, "someone's coming."

Elves have advanced hearing and sight, and Lylith was the best of the best. She would know if someone was there. We couldn't have someone seeing us, knowing about our secret archery.

"Get down!" hissed Amatria.

Swiftly and silently, we all ducked down behind the rock.

"Who is it?" I whispered.

Slowly, Lylith glanced round the side of the rock, then darted her head back.

"Who?" Amatria quietly asked.

Lylith bent down quietly and whispered: "Tholon."

Tholon was Sehnae's only son. He had been there when we were collecting food from the hobbits. Anything his mother wanted doing, Tholon was her tool.

We heard him pass by the rock, and all held our breaths in complete silence.

My leaf-shaped ears heard his footsteps… and he stopped by our rock. Wide-eyed in fear of being discovered, we glanced at each other….

…But he passed on again, and we lay in the same spot until we were sure he had gone.

"Let's get back to the pantry before any one else comes," Amatria whispered.

Nodding, we stood, before turning and running up towards Rivendell.

Up, through a passage by the rocks, through a small grove of trees and under our hidden passage, up to the waterfalls. Glancing round, we didn't see or hear anyone near our hidden waterfall pantry – but I still felt uneasy for some reason.

I held my hand out under the sheet of water. "Panta tangwa," I spoke, as the water opened like curtains.

We stepped inside, the sun shining into it behind us. As the water closed, I saw a shadow of a figure behind us. Someone was standing by the waterfall, watching us!

Quick as I could, I turned around. But there was no one there! Narrowing my eyes, I peered through the falling water.

"Caelyr?" Amatria turned to look at me, her red hair wet with spray from the waterfall.

I turned back to face my friends. "Nothing," I replied; but I knew that there was someone who had seen us. Someone who knew what we were doing… I had a feeling I knew who it was…

"_Mother…"_

_Sehnae looked up to see Tholon standing in her bedroom doorway. "Tholon, dear. I trust your mission was… successful?"  
Tholon nodded as he entered gracefully. "Yes, mother. Caelyr, Amatria and Lylith have been _quite_ busy!"  
Sehnae smiled as she approached her son. "How so?"  
Tholon stepped forwards, grasping his mother's hands. "The waterfalls by the storehouse, just South of the city. The largest one. Place your hand under the water, and say 'Panta tangwa'."_

_Something sparkled in the dark oblivion of Sehnae's irises. "Excellent…"_

"_May I go now, Mother?"_

_Sehnae smiled, "Yes, take your leave. Careful how you go though. Remember what I have taught you."  
Tholon nodded, as mother and son both whispered: "Swift as a songbird, light as a feather."_

**That's Chapter 2, I hope you enjoyed it! **

**Leave a review telling me your thoughts :)**

**-Silverhand9028**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello!**

**Sorry I haven't updated, I've actually been writing an original fantasy piece! Maybe I'll share it when I'm done?**

**Thanks for the support, review!**

**-Silverhand9028**

I was sat in the Great Hall of Rivendell, eating my luncheon with the elves.

Amatria and Lylith were both to my right, as we ate up our fresh elven salad and sipped down our miruvor.

Lord Elrond sat at the head of the table, a grand circlet resting on his long black hair. On his right sat Sehnae, her gown of white and silver sparkling with the sun.

As I popped a crunchy salad leaf delicately in my mouth, I saw Tholon enter the hall. He approached his mother silently.

He began to talk to her in hushed tones, and as she listened, I noticed her lips curl into a smile.

That was when I realised how wet his hands were, and what seemed like a spray of water across his robes.

_The waterfall…_

All of a sudden, a horn blew across the Hall. An elf messenger hurried in. "Mistress Sehnae," she called, "there's a potentially hostile party headed for the city. We have guards stationed, but if they are friendly you may wish to greet them."  
Sehnae excused herself, stood from the table and gracefully, but with astonishing speed, moved across the room. At the exit, she turned her head and called: "Tholon, Caelyr, Amatria, Lylith, Aline, Vonfel; to me. We have guests to greet."  
The six elves that greet the hobbits all stood and moved to the doorway, as we followed Sehnae down to the entrance of Rivendell.

We were standing in our two lines of three. I was between Lylith and Amatria once more, as an odd-looking group of people approached the city.

There was a man and a dwarf sitting on the front of a cart. The man was dressed in armour, with a beard and long hair of light brown-blonde. Beside him was a man so much smaller he was clearly Dwarven. His hair and beard were long and black; he wore a shining helmet down over his forehead and was dressed in steel mail.

On one side, a fair-looking woman rode a horse. She had brown plaited hair, poking out from a green hooded cloak that just covered her shoulders.

On the other side of the cart – I had to do a double take – was an elf riding a _warg! _Her hair was very long and tangled, the same mahogany red-brown as tree bark.

"Guards," Sehnae's gentle voice called to some elves posted on the walls, "ready your bows. This lot could be trouble."  
The odd-looking party neared Rivendell. Sehnae slowly, graciously, stepped down and spread her arms wide. "What business do you have in Rivendell, friends?" her soft tone asked.

The elf on the warg turned to her companions with an expression that said: 'I'll handle the talking'.

She hopped down from the beast and approached Sehnae. I noticed a short woodland bow and quiver on her back. The way she walked displayed her as a huntress and a wood elf: her back slightly bent, her head craned forward and her eyes darting round warily. Instead of the light, gentle pace Sehnae taught us Rivendell elves, she walked with a certain strength and confidence.

"You must be Mistress Sehnae," she spoke in Elvish. "I am Kaonna, of the Mirkwood Elves."

Sehnae's smile said: 'Welcome' but her eyes hinted at disgust. I could tell from years of working under her that her body language subtly changed with her emotions; and now, I knew that although she was more content with speaking to another elf than to humans or dwarves, she did not hold much respect for our forest kin.

"Greetings Kaonna," Sehnae nodded.

"My companions and I are on a mission. A human noblewoman has been stolen by the Orcs, up in the Misty Mountains. We would like to not only stop off at Rivendell for a few nights, but also to search for any who wish to accompany us on this quest."  
Sehnae smiled – a fake smile, hiding boredom and disrespect. "Excellent. And who are your… companions?"

The large man at the front of the cart stood and bowed. "Mors," he said, in a loud, gruff voice.

The dwarf beside him nodded. "I'm Gherren," he spoke, in a shaky, heavily accented form of Elvish. I could tell he didn't speak it naturally.

The human on the horse stood up in her stirrups and took her green hood down. She was quite young, barely a woman. "I am Rowanna, Mistress," she told her - not in Elvish, but I could still understand.

Sehnae nodded graciously. "If you sheathe your weapons, we shall allow you entry. Please dismount your steeds…. And wargs, it would seem…" her dark eyes passed over Kaonna's yellow-eyed wolf creature.

"If you don't mind, I'd rather keep Lymus with me. He tends to get a bit… annoyed… around strangers, you know?" Kaonna replied.  
Sehnae gulped but remained calm. "Very well." I saw her make a silent signal to the guards behind her, but nonetheless she turned to us six. "You three," she pointed to Tholon and the two others, "escort Kaonna and her… pet. And you three," she turned to Lylith, Amatria and I, "take the others."

Lylith approached the dwarf, Amatria to the man, and I went to the woman on the horse.

I speak the voice of men quite well, so I easily managed to tell the girl, Rowanna, where to take her horse. I then led her up to Rivendell. Glancing across at her, I saw that she was smaller than I had first noticed, just reaching my shoulders. Her eyes were light blue and freckles dotted her cheeks. At her hip was a thin, long sword. With such a pointy blade, I doubted a blow could take a man's arm off – but she could probably poke him full of holes if she was quick enough.

"So what's your name?" asked Rowanna.

I remembered Sehnae telling us to remain above the humans, and to act perfect and superior. "I am Caelyr Runis, son of Throlian, of Imladris," I spoke, in the richest, stiffest accent I could manage. I spoke in her language, to try and portray Elven intelligence. Sehnae would be proud.

"I'm Rowanna… daughter of… well, you wouldn't have heard of her," she chuckled. Her voice was quite plain, and her words spoken with a sort of dryness.

I didn't reply. A brief silence passed between us,

"So… what does a girl like me do for fun round here?" Rowanna asked.

"One can study alone or feast with thy kin," I added a kind of smoothness to my tone, as Sehnae's dark eyes watched me.

Rowanna laughed again. "You can stop with the accent now, you know," she chortled, "you're not fooling anyone."

I raised an eyebrow – perhaps this simple-looking girl was cleverer than she first appeared.

"See you 'round, yeah?" she winked, and then skipped off ahead of me.

Later in the day, Lylith and Amatria accompanied me as we went hunting around Imladris. We had been taking out the stress of the day on animals, particularly rabbits and the odd deer. We'd been dancing round as elegantly as Sehnae could have wanted, and the light steps and delicate way of walking were really quite tiring. Now, it was time for some fun.

"I think that's a bear's cave over there," Lylith pointed.

Amatria's light brown eyes settled on a dark shape moving inside it. "My kill," she proclaimed.

Taking an arrow from the quiver on her hip, Amatria jogged lightly in the direction of the bear. A large rock loomed in the way, but with expert grace and flexibility, Amatria vaulted over it and landed squarely on her toes.

"I've always wondered how she does that," I remarked.

Amatria approached the cave, silently, slowly…

…When suddenly a huge bear came crashing out, saliva dripping from its mouth.

It brought its paw up, trying to swipe Amatria, but she was _far _too nimble for that. She leapt back and drew an arrow from her quiver, and fired it. It distracted the bear for a few seconds, but missed and landed by the rock. Roaring, the bear came at Amatria again.

I saw Lylith draw an arrow. "I've got to go and help her," she murmured.

I stuck my arm out, blocking her path. "She can handle this," I replied.

Sure enough, Amatria leapt over the bear and did a forward roll as she landed. Quickly, she whipped around and fired a shot. It hit the ground a few inches away from the beast. Unfazed, the animal charged, but Amatria was ready for it. She ran at it to, then jumped up and landed on the bear's back. It roared, but Amatria took a small pointed dagger – a rondel - from her side. She stabbed it into the bear's side and, with an angry roar, it fell to the ground. Amatria did a graceful little twirl and hopped off the dead beast's back.

"A good kill, Amatria," I remarked.

The gymnastic huntress smiled proudly.

Amatria smirked, when suddenly a horn blew from the towers of Rivendell.

"Aiya!" I cursed in Elvish.

"They're calling a council meeting," Amatria said, "let's go."

**Hope you liked the chapter, click that review button if you did :) **

**-Silverhand9028**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi everyone!  
Thanks for viewing, hope you enjoy this chapter :)**

**-Silverhand9028**

Later, I was dressed in a long robe of pure white with a circlet of silver nestled in

my straight blonde hair. I glanced over at Amatria and Lylith, dressed in gowns of elven silk.

Before us, a council of elves had gathered. Lord Elrond stood at one end, dressed from head to toe in regal shades of olive and pine greens, a golden circlet upon his brow.

Also present were other Elven nobles including Sehnae, smiling pleasantly. Beside her I saw two elves called Ruasal and Mailith; rather stuck-up people who shared her views that all elves should display and maintain a huge amount of grace in front of visitors to Rivendell.

Many more of us elves stood around the council. We filed in to stand beside Aline, an elf who also greeted visitors, along with Sehnae and I.

"Elves of Rivendell," Elrond spoke, "as you know, a party of adventurers came to Rivendell, seeking sanctuary. They have asked for anyone with the strength and bravery to undertake a quest. They are journeying to the Misty Mountains, in search of a human noblewoman called Alizia. Does any elf here desire to join them?"

Silence.

I glanced around at many brave elves. A notoriously talented hunter. A strong city guardsman. A wise and magically gifted woman.

But none stepped forwards.

Lylith, Amatria and I exchanged glances. We'd dreamt of leaving Rivendell on a heroic quest. Escaping the restricted ways Sehnae had held us to all these years and joining a band of adventurers on a dangerous journey sounded like a dream. My heart urged me to leap up, jump on the cart, leave Rivendell and never look back. But my head begged me to stay still as a stone. I had slowly gained respect as a graceful gatekeeper of these people, a trusted servant of Rivendell, one of Sehnae's chosen six to represent the city. I would lose all my honour if I took this opportunity. Amatria and Lylith probably thought the same, as we stood there, unmoving. I could tell we three were all itching to accept, but we knew we couldn't.

"Very well," Elrond nodded. "I shall tell their leader Mors that no-one accepted the offer. Now, I believe the council have other matters to discuss. Does anyone have anything they'd like to bring up?"

"Yes, Lord Elrond," Sehnae stepped forward, her dark eyes glistening and her face bearing a wicked grin I knew not to trust, "I have a matter I would like to set before the council."

Elrond's blue eyes twinkled with intelligence and curiosity. "Of course Mistress. Continue."  
Sehnae faced the crowd of elves. "Tholon," she called out. "Step forward."

I scowled as her son, Tholon, emerged from the group. His face was fair as a summer's day, his hair as dark as a winter's night.

"Tell Lord Elrond what you told me." Her soft whispering voice washed over the crowd and for just a moment, her dark eyes glanced in my direction.

This wasn't sounding good.

"A few days ago, my Lord Elrond," Tholon spoke shakily. "I was out by the waterfalls. Just past the storehouse."  
I remembered the figure seen outside our pantry's water curtain. I remembered seeing Tholon's hands sprayed with water.

'_Aiya_,' I cursed under my breath.

"Three of our number…" I saw Sehnae's eyes bearing into her son, as his pale skin flushed red. "they have deceived us."

"How do you mean?" Elrond asked.

"Well…" Tholon glanced pleadingly in our direction. "They've built a secret pantry in the valley. They have meat…"  
Sehnae nodded to Ruasal and Mailith, her rich elven followers. They produced two of our secret sacks and emptied them, revealing sausage and steak, mutton and mince.

Some of the elves gasped and stepped back. Amatria looked shocked and distraught, Lylith looked angry and irritated.

"Which elves have been violating our laws, Tholon?" Sehnae smiled, a horrible, wicked smile. "Tell Lord Elrond who has broken their vows as an elf of Rivendell. Who did you see enter this _pantry_?"  
'_No no, no, no…"_ I wanted to scream. I wanted to grab my longbow, to put an arrow through Sehnae and her stupid son.

"Caelyr, Amatria and Lylith," he replied.

The elves around us all stared and gaped. They stepped away from us.

Elrond walked towards us with a kind of calm, controlled strength – he appeared elegant and graceful without Sehnae training him.

"You are three of Mistress Sehnae's chosen six, aren't you?" he asked.

I nervously nodded.

"So… you, what, bargain with the hobbits? Smuggle in your own food?" Elrond pressed on.

We nodded once more.

"This kind of treacherous behaviour is against the honour of our ancestors," Sehnae scowled from behind him. "The unpermitted use of magic to create this _'pantry'_! The smuggling of illegal goods! You have excessive amounts of ale and mead in this pantry, I am told."

"What course of action do you suggest should be taken?" asked Ruasal.

Sehnae mused for a second. "We definitely should confiscate _all_ of these disallowed items. Then we should take all necessary precautions with these elves. I suggest severe educational measures to ensure they remain pure to the wellbeing of Rivendell. Or perhaps…" Sehnae's dark eyes settled on us. "Perhaps, my Lord Elrond would prefer more extreme methods. Like…. exiling them."  
The gazes of Elrond and Sehnae met. "Mistress, these are three of your chosen six, are they not?"  
"They are," Sehnae coolly replied.

"You are suggesting the banishment of three elves who have been training their whole lives to achieve perfect grace and elegance?"  
"You should know I have no tolerance for those with disobedient tendencies. Those who hide their true ways from their masters. Those who lie and steal when they should be good and wise. Those who betray the trust of others…" Sehnae turned away.

"You three," Elrond approached us, "what do you have to say for yourselves?"

"We…" I scrambled for something to say. "We…"  
"We've grown sick of this," I heard Lylith say. Some elves around us began to gasp or whisper, but Elrond still looked silently at us, his grey eyes showing no shock, or anger, or acceptance. "All this… floating around, being graceful. 'Swift as a songbird, light as a feather,' and everything else. Why can't we be free?"

"_You_," Sehnae strode up, pointing at us, "have betrayed every elf in Imladris. Your duty was to maintain a certain amount of elegance when visitors were present, not to feast on _illegal meats_!" she hissed. I found it odd how her honey-sweet voice still sounded gentle and soft, even when she was angry. "You were taught to be _graceful_ and _respectful_, not _rebellious_ and _free!"_

"Well that doesn't sound very fair," replied a voice.

Glancing over, I saw Kaonna, the Mirkwood elf, standing by the edge of the crowd. Her hair, the colour of red ochre, had a few fresh flowers and sprigs laced through it. Her bow and arrows were strapped to her back.

"Who are you to question the judgment of the council?" Sehnae folded her arms.

"I'm just stating my opinion," she replied.

"Well _don't_," Sehnae approached her. She turned back to Elrond and us, "this is what I mean. _This_ is the kind of lawless behaviour these reckless elves are encouraging. If they are allowed to fester in the valley any longer, Rivendell will become some kind of anarchy!"  
Elrond looked at her. "Mistress… it seems you are correct. These three would be happier with their own rules, I now see."  
He drew his breath, and stared somberly at us. "Caelyr. Amatria. Lylith. I, Elrond, Lord of Rivendell, guardian of Imladris, hereby sentence thee to banishment."

Many elves would have sobbed, or left immediately. But I exchanged glances with Amatria and Lylith.

"Might as well…" Amatria grinned.

"What can we lose?" grinned Lylith.

I stepped forward. "Kaonna. If we are exiled, do we have permission to join your quest?"  
Kaonna opened her mouth to speak, but Ruasal stepped out from behind Sehnae. "That's ridiculous," he spat, "you're _dancers_, not fighters! You greet hobbits, you don't-"

I'm sure he would have given us a full-blown rant, but Lylith had something to prove – and when she has something to prove, _nothing_ gets in her way.

Quick as a bolt of black lightning, she dashed over to Kaonna and snatched her bow and quiver.

In a flash, there was an arrow in the wall, three centimetres above Ruasal's head.

"You're right," Lylith shrugged sarcastically. "We're only 'dancers'. We can't fight… aside from the fact that I could easily kill you right now."

Grinning, I took the bow from Lylith, drew an arrow and nocked it sideways. I drew the drawstring back to my leaf-shaped ear.

Closing one eye, I saw a curved post on the edge of a building. I released the arrow, and it landed right on the edge. A few centimetres to the left or right, it would have gone flying off – yet with my accuracy, it put the valley guards to shame.

I grinned at Elrond's impressed expression and Sehnae's bemused scowl.

"Well," Kaonna turned to Amatria. "What impressive things can you do with a bow?"  
Amatria smirked. "I don't need a bow to impress."

With brilliant speed, Amatria ran towards the building. She was headed for a wall, and as she reached it, she managed to run a few feet _up_ it, before doing a backwards somersault off it. Flipping through the air, she then landed on her feet, with her rondel drawn from a compartment in her robe.

Sehnae began to smile, which was odd.

Kaonna nodded her head. "I'll tell Mors we have some new additions to the team. Meet us outside Rivendell with all your equipment and horses. Tomorrow, we leave for the mountains."

**Thanks for reading, please review ;D**

**-Silverhand9028**


	5. Chapter 5

**New chapter!  
Thank you to the fabulous Princess Emmaleigh for her review! That means a lot to me :)**

**-Silverhand9028  
**

It was the next day.

I was dressed in a grey woolen cloak over a long jerkin, which covered some light mail. My favourite diadem – an intricate masterpiece of magically wrought silver – hung upon my golden hair, as my favourite elven dagger hung in my belt. On my back were my quiver of arrows and my longbow. I held a pair of reigns in my gauntleted hands, as I sat atop a snowy white stallion. It was tall and beautiful, and its name was Kethean – in Elven it meant 'wind rider'.

I trotted up to the group of adventurers.

There was Rowanna, smiling wittily as she sprawled across the back off the cart. The tall, threatening Mors was polishing a terrifyingly huge sword as the dwarf Gherren was swigging down some ale. Kaonna was restringing her bow as she leant against Lymus' furry back - that huge beast gave me butterflies.

Lastly, I saw Amatria and Lylith, both atop horses.

Amatria wore an ivory corset and a ruffled skirt, over some opaque tights and long boots. Her short cloak was on her back, her quiver was at her hip and an expensive topaz hung around her neck. Her red hair was in ringlets, with a circlet balanced neatly on top.

"Quel amrun," she greeted me in Elvish.

I nodded as I rode Kethean a little further.

Lylith was there, and she greeted me with a smile. She was dressed in an intricately decorated white shirt with puff sleeves, and a maroon under-bust corset that complemented her eyes. She bore a blue cloak and silver circlet. Her arrows and bow were on her back and a ready smile was on her face.

Mors yelled in his language and it took me a second or so to translate it as: "Are we all ready?"

"We are," I replied in the same tongue.

We all trotted up to the cart.

"Tell me more about this woman we're saving," I said.

"You speak well," Rowanna congratulated my skill at languages. It was fortunate that Amatria, Lylith and I had learned the languages of men to talk to the hobbits that delivered our food.

"Her name is Alizia," continued Gherren, the dwarf. His bushy black beard reached almost to his knees, which I found amusing. "Her father is a Lord. A band of Orcs came in the night. She was taking a midnight stroll when a farmer reportedly saw her snatched."

"I hate to break it to you," Lylith folded her arms, "but they're Orcs. Your damsel in distress is probably eaten."  
"If they wanted to eat her, they would have done it there and then. They would have raided the entire village and eaten them all. But they just took her. Which means she's most likely alive." Kaonna replied. "They came right down from the Mountains just to steal one person."

"Well," Rowanna shuffled back into the cart. "I left my horse in Rivendell, so the cart's mine." She took a sack of food, and lay it down, then went to sit upon another large sack, when suddenly…

…As Rowanna landed on the sack, a shriek was heard from it.

Yelping, Rowanna glanced at the sack. Mors appeared beside her, opened the sack and reached in with one huge muscly arm. He produced a small girl who was clearly a hobbit. Her hair was short and curly, a red-brown colour. Large blue eyes glanced around, and her feet were, oddly for a girl, covered in curly hair. She looked so small and helpless, squealing as she dangled by the scruff of her neck from Mors' giant fist.

"What are you doing?" he boomed.

"Who's that?" asked Amatria.

"It's the hobbit," sighed Kaonna.

Mors dropped the girl onto the sack. "I… stowed away. I want to be like you!" she yelled.

"Who is this?" I asked.

"I-I-I…" the girl gulped. "…I'm Genevaer Took."  
"We went through Hobbiton on the way here," explained Gherren. "She wanted to join the quest but we said no. She's no fighter, just a little girl with dreams and an old dagger."  
"I'm a _Took_!" she yelled. "Old Took, my great-great-great-grandfather, was so big he could ride a real horse!"  
"And you're so small you couldn't ride a real _puppy_," Mors replied. "Go home, little hobbit. We are on a dangerous quest. You can play swords in the Shire."  
"I'm not a child!" she spat. "I have a dagger. It's a family heirloom, and I can fight!"

"No you can't," sighed Rowanna. "You stabbed a tree. That's the best you can do."

"What are we going to do with her?" Lylith glanced at the girl.

"We can't exactly take her back to the Shire," Mors said, "we mean to be in the Mountains by nightfall."

"We could leave her here at Rivendell," Amatria suggested.

"No!" Genevaer argued. "I don't want to. I want to fight with you. I want to make my ancestors proud!"

Mors sighed. "Who knew such a little girl could be such a big problem?"

There was a brief silence.

Gherren was the first to break it. "She can hide in the cart if anything happens, or run away. Hobbits are quite sneaky."  
Mors breathed out loudly. "Very well. Genevaer, you may accompany us briefly. But if anything too dangerous happens, run. Got it?"  
Genevaer nodded excitedly.

"Right then, mount your steeds. Rowanna and Genevaer can share the cart." Mors called. He and Gherren got in the front of the cart so they could drive it. Kaonna mounted Lymus, as we three elves made sure our horses were ready.

"Are you going now, then?" a voice asked in Elvish.

I turned Kethean around to see Elrond, standing at the bottom of the steps.

I normally would've bowed my head with a formal 'Lord Elrond', but all I could visualize was the look on his face when he banished me from my home.

"We are," I replied.

"I merely though that you aught to know…" Elrond paused. "…that you are good elves. It's just that you do not belong in Imladris. I know that. You know that. Sehnae knew that."  
I scowled and turned my head at that.

"You must understand. Sehnae is doing this for the good of Imladris! You must not resent her. Sending you away was hard for her too; you are three of her chosen six."  
Amatria murmured under her breath.

"I must be off," Lylith replied, coldly. "Mors is waiting." She turned her horse around and galloped off.

Amatria nodded her head, and followed her companion away from Rivendell.

"Tenna' telwan," Elrond said in Elvish, meaning 'Until later'.

I pulled on the reigns and steered Kethean away from Rivendell. "Namaarie," I replied: 'Farewell.'

Then I gave Kethean a kick, and cantered off with Rivendell, and all memories of Sehnae, Tholon and Elrond, left behind. I didn't look back.

**This chapter was for Toni (CookieTheNinja) who inspired the character of Antonia, as well as my friend Lizzie who invented Kaonna!**

**-Silverhand9028**


	6. Chapter 6

**Long chapter this time!  
Please continue to review; praise, criticism and advice are much appreciated! **

**Thanks very much,**

**-Silverhand9028  
**

After a few hours or so, we had left the valley of Imladris far behind. The cart trundled up a pebble-dotted pass, as the mountains loomed menacingly before us.

"We have to take a detour," explained Mors, "or we'll never make it up the steeper slopes in this cart."

We turned to face the South, as we rode along. Kethean was swift and strong and we made relatively good time as we began to ascend up the rocky foothills of the Misty Mountains.

The sun began to sink behind the tallest peaks, smudging the sky with a pretty peach colour. As I followed the cart up the slopes, I took this time to think about Rivendell. I wondered what would happen when – _if_ – we returned from this quest. I couldn't return, Elrond had made that quite clear. "You do not belong in Rivendell," his words tortured my mind. I knew I wasn't meant to eat salad, dance in front of the hobbits and read runes all day, but a part of me still called it home. I longed to curl up in my warm bed, to listen to the harpists in the Hall of Fire, to feel the cool spray of the twinkling crystal waterfalls. But that was long behind me, and I realised I could never do these things again.

Where would I go after this quest? With a start, I realised I could go travelling. I had never left the valley, so I now had the choice to visit all the places I'd wanted to. I could go hunting in Mirkwood with Kaonna; I could visit the towns of Men with Rowanna and Mors. I could see Erebor and the Iron Hills with Gherren and the Shire with Genevaer. But what about _after_ that? Would I ever have a place to call my own?

"Penny for your thoughts?" asked a cheerful voice.

I turned to see the carts and horses had stopped, and I was just behind the cart. I could see Genevaer sitting there, eating some bread and cheese, whilst Rowanna was sprawled out on the other side. It was her who had spoken.

"C'mon, what's eating you?" she grinned.

"I was just thinking about Rivendell," I shrugged.

"I try not to think, it interferes with eating," Genevaer half-joked, with food stuffed within her jaws.

"Put those thoughts behind you," Rowanna smiled, "we have more important things to think about."

Genevaer nodded. "There's a song that's been in my family for a while." She put down her food, opened her mouth, and began to sing in a soft but sweet voice.

""Home is behind, the world ahead,

And there are many paths to tread

Through shadows to the edge of night,

Until the stars are all alight.

Then world behind and home ahead,

We'll wander back and home to bed.

Mist and twilight, cloud and shade,

Away shall fade…" she paused for a second, her blue eyes fixing on me. "Away shall fade."

She blushed for a second, and I smiled. "A fine voice," I commended her.

"That's a slower version," she told me, as she began to blush. "Some of my family members have been bards in the past, so…"

Mors stood from the cart and clapped his huge hands for quiet. "Alright folks, we'll be stopping here for the night, aye?"

We all nodded. "Right," he yelled. "You three Rivendell ones. You can go hunting for dinner; prove how good you really are. The rest of you can set up camp, make a fire, and tether the horses. Kaonna, you take first watch."  
I dismounted Kethean and handed him by the reigns to Rowanna. I then adjusted my quiver on my hip, and checked my hair and circlet were perfect.

"Are you ready?" I asked the others.

"Of course," replied Lylith.

With a nod, we turned our backs on the scene and headed away into a small wood of trees growing on the mountainside.

"I think there's a group of deer, moving up the plain," Lylith whispered.

Glancing out from behind a tree, I saw a group of four deer prancing up the mountain plain that lay by the wood. It was dark by now; we could see the inky dark sky through gaps in the trees. The cold light of the moon seemed to bathe everything in steely silver, the stars subtly twinkling.

"The stag at the front is mine," I announced. I drew back my bowstring to my ear, and found a good spot. The arrow hit and I smiled.

Amatria and Lylith released their arrows, as together we felled the group of deer.

We hauled them over our shoulders and turned back, to take them to the camp. A few minutes of trudging through the woods made us more lost than we were before, however.

"We need Kaonna," mumbled Amatria, "she could navigate these woods in seconds."

"Hold on," Lylith darted forwards. "I think I see some light!"  
"The others?" I wondered.

"Must be," shrugged Amatria, "who else would have a fire up here in the mountains?"

We walked through the woods towards an orange glow that got brighter and brighter the closer we got. Soon, we could see a small clearing ahead of us, behind large slabs of rock.

"I don't remember these rocks being here," I hissed.

Lylith and Amatria murmured their agreements.

"Get down," Amatria decided to take charge, "I'll check what's on the other side."  
We dropped to our knees as Amatria stepped forward, her elven powers meaning she made no noise as she crept round the rock…. Then whipped her head back and rejoined us as fast as possible.

"What is it?" I asked.

Amatria caught my eye. "Trolls."

"What do we do?" Lylith muttered.

"I think we should just leave," Amatria replied. "Trolls don't take kindly to trespassers, I've heard."

Lylith nodded. "We should, but-"

Suddenly, a growl of 'ELVES! GET 'EM!' was heard, followed by the pounding of footsteps.

"The trolls!" I yelled.

We dropped the deer, stood, and sprinted in three different directions as three huge, lumbering trolls appeared from behind the rocks. One came at Lylith, but she did a U-turn and slid under its legs, and fired an arrow that just fell short of the beast.

Amatria put her gymnastic skills to use and darted towards the trees. Using a rock as a leg-up, she grabbed some lower branches and scrambled up a tree, a troll roaring behind her.

I turned to face a larger troll, saliva dripping from its mouth. I drew an arrow and pointed it at the monster. It lumbered towards me as I stood, still and calm, breathing steadily. Baring its fearsome jaws, the beast snarled: "Haha! Let's have us some elf stew!"

I released the bowstring and the troll dove to the side. It wasn't quick enough to dodge the arrow, which pierced its shoulder.

Smiling, I took another arrow and nocked it to my bow, which I held out horizontally.

Meanwhile, Lylith and Amatria were doing well with the other two trolls.

Lylith's small size against the strength and force of the largest troll – bigger than the one I was facing – meant her arrows weren't doing much good. However, where the troll was slow and clumsy, she was quick and nimble. She drew an arrow, which hit the troll's shoulder, causing it pain but nothing life-threatening. She then ran at the troll, fired an arrow with commendable speed, and stopped just within its reach. The troll swiped, but she ran back and darted round it. It kept reaching for her, but whenever its fist smashed into the space she'd just been at, she had left it in the dust.

Amatria had scaled the tree and fired an arrow as she perched precariously on the upper branches. It missed the troll that was roaring and spitting. Amatria took hold of a branch above her head as the troll began to claw up the roots of the tree. It bent down and Amatria swung from the branches and landed on the troll's shoulders! The troll roared and tried to shake her off, as she drew her dagger from her belt.

Meanwhile, the troll facing me had pulled the arrow out of its shoulder and was snarling as it stared down at me from a rock. I fired an arrow that hit the troll's chest, then another that landed in its thigh, yet it still staggered forwards, snarling threats.

Stepping backwards, I took two arrows at once from my quiver and nocked them horizontally. I aimed the bow upwards but kept it horizontal, then waited until the moment was right. I had to make sure this shot was as perfectly accurate as possible. As the troll charged, it dipped it's head slightly… _now!_

I released both arrows, hoping that my accuracy was perfect… and it was.

Each arrow pierced one of the gaping eyes of the troll! I grinned in proud success as the troll was pained and blinded. Wasting no time, I nocked a final arrow, pulled back the bowstring and loosed it.

'AAAAAHHHH!' the troll uttered a final scream and stumbled backwards, consequently snuffing out his own fire.

I turned to see Amatria stab the troll between the shoulder blades. It roared and spat blood, yet still didn't die. With an almighty shake, the troll managed to throw her onto the ground. Landing on her back, Amatria rolled backwards and rose to her feet. The troll turned round and uprooted the tree she had been sat in. As the troll charged her, Amatria nocked an arrow and fired it. It hit the troll's arm, and as it tumbled back I fired an arrow along with her. Together they made blood spurt and the troll utter a final, screeching breath. Nodding to Amatria, I turned to see Lylith.

Her plan was running round the troll to tire it out so she could shoot it in its confusion and exhaustion.

It had worked at first. She'd run round the troll camp, keeping just ahead of the troll at all times. Its stupidity and desire to eat her meant it had lumbered after her, beating its chest and making rude remarks.

Lylith was speedy.

But she was also confident and brash, and that was her biggest mistake.

Nocking an arrow to her bow whilst sprinting was no problem to Lylith. I saw her do just that as she darted away at the edge of the camp. The arrow missed the troll by a hair.

"Should I try and hit it?" I gestured to my bow.

"She's too far away," Amatria voiced my doubts, "besides, she can handle herself."  
I nodded in agreement, but too late, for Lylith tried to nock an arrow – and, in her haste, did not notice a tree root sticking out from the ground.

"Lylith!" yelled Amatria.

Our friend tumbled and ended up crashing into a tree, covered in dirt.

Amatria and I ran, but the troll snatched up Lylith in one giant hand, before taking her dagger from its sheath and holding it to Lylith's throat.

"Another step, little elfies," it grinned, "and your friend is dead."


End file.
